Depression and Anxiety Rising in Kids, Teens

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - May is mental health awareness month, and Angela Stastry, director of Great Circle's Community Counseling Center, says they are seeing a big rise in anxiety and depression among young people.

“We are seeing more kids developing anxiety and depression at an earlier age, and we also see a lot of parents who are more concerned about depression and anxiety in their children,” she says.

Stastry says young people are bombarded with news of school shootings and terrorism, not to mention growing up with social media that leads many to feel like they'll never measure up or be good enough, as well as bullying that happens online.

Stastry says kids today are exposed to a whole new world of opportunities, but that also brings with it increased pressure. Ultimately, she says parents shouldn't be afraid to seek professional help, for themselves or their children.

"Kids today have a lot of pressures, and they aren’t as well equipped, as kids in maybe previous generations, to deal with all of the pressures they face,” she says.